After Pam suffered the loss of her mother, she spent a few days helping her sister sort through the house and their mom’s personal items. When Pam flew home, I picked her up at the airport. She was crying. The airline had misplaced her suitcase with some special things that had belonged to her mom. Of all the suitcases in the world, why did that one get lost!

It’s never fun to lose your luggage, especially when something valuable is inside. But maybe there is some baggage we are hanging on to that we ought to lose—permanently. Consider this list:

The baggage of bad habits. It only takes 21 days to establish a new habit, so how about losing the baggage of bad or annoying habits and instead beginning some new ones like exercise, prayer, daily compliments to your loved ones, spending more time together, or thinking up other habits that would strengthen your family.

The baggage of poor communication. Make plans to spend some time each day in quality, undivided communication. Speak respectfully, listen attentively and respond politely.

The baggage of inattention. Many marriages die because of neglect. Lose that baggage for good, and instead make it your goal to meet each other’s emotional needs. Remember the days when you were dating and all things that were done to make each other happy. Once you do that, begin “dating” your spouse again.

The baggage of sin. “He will again have compassion on us, and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19 NKJV). Each time I read this passage I imagine flying over the ocean and dropping all my baggage of past sin into the deepest part so as to never see them again. If God can do that, why not let the hurts of the past also be buried forever?

The baggage of empty spirituality. Many suffer from spiritual anorexia, thinking themselves spiritually overweight, while dying of spiritual food deprivation. When the most important ingredient for a successful, happy marriage is the close relationship that each partner has with God, neglecting that opportunity can spell disaster. Leave your empty spiritual life behind, and feed daily on God’s Word, individually and corporately.

The baggage of resentment. The word resentment originates with the Latin resentir, which means “to feel again.” Don’t be historical, bringing the past up every time there’s a disagreement. Instead, choose forgiveness. The baggage of resentment is a heavy burden—lose it for good.

Back to Pam’s lost luggage. The airline assured us that they would look for Pam’s suitcase, but that the next flight would not arrive until the next evening. As soon as we knew the plane should have landed, Pam called the airline and was told her bag had arrived and would be delivered before 2 a.m. She waited up until the bag was in her hands and it’s precious contents safely home. This luggage is good to keep, but the baggage we store inside of us, the baggage that damages marriages and families—let’s lose it, and never look for it again.